The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) registered 5 259 cases of police misconduct during the 2025/2026 financial year. Of these, 332 cases related to gender-based violence and femicide (GBV).
Lizzy Suping, IPID spokesperson, said 5 259 cases were registered in the financial year. The largest number of cases – 3 468 – related to assault and torture. This was followed by 669 cases involving the discharge of an official firearm and 464 deaths resulting from police action. Of the 332 cases related to GBV and femicide, 122 were referrals stemming mainly from domestic violence. There were also 116 cases of rape by a police officer, 58 cases of assault and torture, 24 murder cases and ten cases involving the discharge of an official firearm.
The 116 rape cases registered in 2025/2026 represent an increase from the 95 cases registered in 2024/2025. According to IPID, 44 of the alleged rapes by police officers occurred while they were on duty, whilst 72 were committed by off-duty officers. KwaZulu-Natal recorded the most cases – 60 – followed by Gauteng with 58, the Free State with 52 and the Eastern and Northern Cape with 27 each. The Western Cape recorded the most police misconduct cases, with 905, followed by Gauteng with 898, KwaZulu-Natal with 722 and the Eastern Cape with 717.
IPID secured 84 criminal convictions during the financial year, compared to 43 the previous year. Of the 84 convictions, 26 were related to GBV and femicide. By 31 March 2026, 994 cases had been enrolled in various courts after IPID recommended to the National Prosecuting Authority that criminal prosecution be instituted against police officers.
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
